Columbia Campus to Welcome International Students in Fall ’24

Starting in the fall of 2024, Webster University international students will be able to study in the Master of Information Technology Management program at the Columbia, South Carolina location.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for both our international and domestic students,” said Samrat Ray Chaudhuri, assistant vice president for International Enrollment at Webster. “Our international students will now have more options to explore other areas of the United States, and our students in Columbia will be able to meet students from other parts of the world. This also will add an international flavor to classroom discussions, further enhancing the global quality of all of Webster’s programs.”

The Master of Information Technology Management program is part of the curriculum in the George Herbert Walker School of Business & Technology. It has been available at the Columbia location for several years, but only as an online program. It recently has been expanded to include on-ground (classroom) instruction, as well as a hybrid format where students attend some sessions online and others in person.

“We are ready to welcome international students to the Columbia campus and are excited for the new perspectives that they will bring to our classes,” said Columbia location Director Sherriel Byrd. “I believe these students will really enjoy their time here, as we are conveniently located near several lakes and rivers, a golf course, a state park and the downtown area, and are an easy drive to the coast on the weekends.”

In the past two years, Webster has seen significant growth in the number of international students studying in the United States, with most of those students choosing to study at Webster’s main campus in St. Louis or at its San Antonio location in Texas. Last year the University also was named as being among the top 40 among all master’s-conferring institutions for hosting international students, by the Open Doors project.

Before a new location can be made available to international students, it must meet the international student regulations and compliance criteria. The Master of Information Technology Management program and the Columbia location recently underwent required modifications to meet the requirement of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Student and Victors Exchange Program (SEVP) for international study.

The University also reviews the availability of housing in the area, looks at safety and other environmental factors, and determines if there is a demand from international students to study in those regions. Columbia, South Carolina, has seen growth in international students in the past decade, with many students from other countries studying STEM-related fields at peer institutions.

Initially, the Columbia location will be offered to new international students, as well as qualifying and eligible international transfer students, who wish to transfer from another U.S. institution. As the location adjusts to the new population, the site will be opened up to all international prospective students for consideration. Webster is also studying the option of adding other programs to the Columbia location by next year, depending on demand from international students.

Visit the Columbia location webpage to learn more about its programs, or visit the international enrollment page to review all of the programs open to students from around the world.